Fancy’s Southern Cafe’s country fried steak, mashed potatoes n’ gravy, and beet and butternut squash salad. -LAURA TICHY / FLORIDA WEEKLY
The Dish: Down-home dinner in an elegant setting
The Place: Fancy’s Southern Cafe (downtown location), 2214 Bay St., Fort Myers; 239-208-2564; www.fancyssoutherncafe.com
The Details:
Well known for its original location off Daniels Parkway near the I-75 interchange, Fancy’s Southern Cafe was a natural fit when space opened in a classic downtown building. The popular restaurant brings its New Orleans-nuanced classic Southern cooking to this second location, decorated in an elegantly eclectic décor. Since Fancy’s brought its following and reputation with it, either come early or make reservations because the place can fill up fast. Their famous Southern brunches have a following of their own. The restaurant offers a full bar and a full page of classic, creative and strong cocktails, with a variety of twists on the old-fashioned, as well as a carefully curated, well-described wine selection.
Fancy’s Southern Cafe’s beet and butternut squash salad. -LAURA TICHY / FLORIDA WEEKLY
While dinners lean towards traditional, for something contemporary, consider starting with the beet and butternut squash salad ($15), featuring butternut squash sauteed in a marinade, roasted beets and creamy whipped feta goat cheese on a bed of arugula, topped with crumbled pistachios. The sweetness of the squash and beets works well with the bitter greens, and the nuts add a nice crunch. The house-made blood orange vinaigrette served with the salad ties it all together perfectly. The salad is large enough to be shared or would serve as an entrée for a health-minded diner.
The restaurant does excellent takes on traditional comfort foods, such as chicken pot pie and meatloaf, while getting more creative with fish dishes, such as the snapper amaretto-almandine. One classic to consider trying is the country-fried steak ($20). With a crunchy fried crust, this large angus steak comes out tender enough to cut with a table knife. The golden cream-based gravy carries a tasty zing in the form of white peppercorns throughout it.
Fancy’s aims to make dining a social experience, with family-style side dishes ordered à la carte and sized to be shared by your whole table. So, you’ll need to coordinate which sides to order with your tablemates, or plan to take home substantial leftovers. With the steak, you might consider trying the mashed potatoes n’ gravy ($11), which could be a meal unto itself. The meaty brown gravy, with hints of Worcestershire sauce to its flavor, top whipped potatoes that are complete with the occasional lumps to let you know they’re homemade.
Fancy’s Southern Cafe’s strawberry shortcake. -LAURA TICHY / FLORIDA WEEKLY
While the desserts rotate, the kitchen usually has the strawberry shortcake ($12) on hand. The highlight here is the actual cake, which is no mere base for the fruit. It is a real pound cake with a nicely browned crust, made by the chef. It evokes the memory of what real, old-fashioned scratch-made cakes and frosting used to taste like (or gives you the opportunity to taste real cake if all you’ve ever known are the cake mix or store-bought variety). A generous portion of house-made whipped vanilla frosting smothers the top and holds the layers together, with the sliced sweetened strawberries serving almost more as a garnish to complement this real cake that brings back memories of county fair blue ribbons and grandma’s Sunday church socials.